No longer grounded for safety concerns, United Flight 1 flew from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 20, 2013.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
A passenger on United Airlines Flight 1 looks out one of the Dreamliner's oversized windows. The use of composite materials to build the airplane made larger window cutouts possible.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner sits on the runway in Houston on Monday as crews prepare for its first commercial flight since the fleet was grounded earlier this year. The Boeing 787 was the first entire airline model to be grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in more than 30 years.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
Michael Reynolds of St. Louis, Missouri, reclines during the flight to Chicago.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
The Dreamliner has larger overhead bins than similar airliners.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
The aircraft's lightweight design allows it to fly long distances more efficiently.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
Alex Gilbert and Rebecca Davila watch a film during a flight on a Boeing 787Dreamliner.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
Lithium-ion batteries that overheated on two Dreamliners in January prompted authorities to ground all 50 of the 787s worldwide, but a redesigned battery system has cleared the way for the plane's return.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
A United Airlines maintenance worker examines a hydraulic line.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
The plane is designed to be lightweight so that it can fly farther with the same amount of fuel as heavier airliners. It can carry 200-plus passengers a third of the way around the globe.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
Composite materials have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner's nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
United Airlines Capts. Neils Olufsen and Bill Blocker piloted the Dreamliner's domestic return to flight on Monday.
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Dreamliner returns to the sky —
United Airlines maintenance workers prepare the plane for flight.
Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN
Dreamliner returns to the sky —
Boeing's Dreamliner design reflects the airlines' demand for efficiency. That desire has triggered a trend toward fuel-sipping, lightweight, long-range airliners.
